Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish says the impact of Ecuador striker Christian Benitez has been a pleasant surprise.

Better known as 'Chucho' - or 'Annoying Little Terrier' - Benitez is winning admirers with his form for Brum.

McLeish said: "He's not a stereotypical South American, all flair and less substance,' he said. 'You only need to see his ProZone figures. They are very high. In terms of the strikers I've got, he's definitely the highest. Cameron Jerome has power and speed and will use up more energy. But Christian is tenacious.

"He can be equally explosive. Defences in the Premier League have been given problems by the pair's the power and speed. We're definitely a better team than we were two years ago with this input."